ORLANDO, Fla. – A lawsuit claiming contamination of residential properties from an Orlando Utilities Commission power plant has been dismissed, according to court records.
The order to dismiss came at the request of attorneys representing the group of residents who filed the lawsuit.
“This request for dismissal was a voluntary and unilateral decision by Plaintiffs to abandon their claims -- it was not based on any settlement or agreement with OUC,” utility general manager Clint Bullock said. “From the outset, OUC has been confident that Plaintiffs’ claims were unsupported by any sound science and inconsistent with data reported by the Florida Department of Health. Plaintiffs’ request to dismiss this lawsuit with prejudice fully confirms that their claims had no merit.”
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The lawsuit was filed in 2018 after residents in neighborhoods near the Stanton Energy Center in east Orange County claimed that their properties were contaminated by toxic byproducts that have caused cancer rates in the area to “drastically exceed” the national average.
In 2019, a report from the Florida Department of Health said an investigation found there was no evidence to substantiate the claims.
While the case has been dismissed, Bullock said attorneys with OUC are also working to vacate an earlier ruling they believe was incorrect.
“While that earlier ruling is no longer important to this case because of the dismissal Order, OUC believes that it should be vacated because future litigants might attempt to rely on it,” Bullock said.
“We are pleased with the Plaintiffs’ decision to dismiss the case, and we hope that the withdrawal of their claims and termination of the lawsuit will provide our customers and neighbors with peace of mind.”